The value of post-exercise doppler systolic pressure measurements to thoroughly assess the peripheral arterial system is well known. A number of exercise techniques are known. These include treadmill walking, post occlusive reactive hyperemia, ankle flexion maneuvers, toelifts, walking and climbing stairs. The most commonly used techniques are the constant-load treadmill and reactive hyperemia.
In the use of the constant-load treadmill technique some problems have been encountered. Principally, it has been found that a number of patients are unable to safely tolerate the treadmill exercise because of cardiac, pulmonary or neuromuscular conditions. The unilateral amputee, uncooperative or debilitated patients also present particular problems.
A few patients also have difficulty with the mile and one-half per hour speed and ten percent elevation of the treadmill. Another drawback is the time lag experienced from the cessation of exercise to placement of the patient on an examining table for the initial post-exercise blood pressure measurement. In some cases, as long as a minute and a half may elapse before the first post-exercise pressure can be obtained. This is attributed to the time necessary to assist these patients off the treadmill, obtain their cooperation in resuming the supine position and readjusting the equipment.
The present invention is directed to these problems of safety, cooperation, logistics and accuracy and utilizes a portable treadle mechanism for lower extremity exercise capable of being adapted to an examining table. More specifically, a patient is positioned on a examining table in supine position with the legs flexed and a treadle mechanism is positioned on the table so that the resiliently mounted foot pedals thereof are engaged by the feet of the patient. The patient is caused to successively depress and release successive left and right foot pedals for a predetermined period of time, or until claudication occurs, and thereafter systolic pressure measurements are made on the legs of the patient.